Resilient Souls Blog

Holding gratitude, grief, and hope as Christmas approaches As 2025 draws to a close, I found myself wanting to write a letter of thanks and reflection as Christmas approaches. Just a chance to pause and acknowledge the season and the guests, listeners, and wider community who’ve been part of Resilient Souls this year. But over the past week or so, something happened in our country that made a bright, celebratory message feel out of place. The events in Bondi shocked us all. W

How a simple box reminded me of the power of community and the friends who carried us. I opened a box today I wasn’t planning to open. I’ve been in a bit of a sorting season lately - piles of photos, old albums, clippings, drawings and little pieces of our family stories. A lot of it’s been consolidated or gone into labelled boxes and moved into a storage cupboard. But there was one box I kept out. It was crammed full of cards and letters. Bookmarks. Little drawings. Handwrit

On the quiet courage it takes to begin again, one small step at a time. When you’re walking through deep grief, painful loss, or trauma of any kind, energy is often the first thing to disappear. Getting out of bed can suddenly feel incredibly hard and even pointless. Motivation leaves you, and some days it feels almost impossible to just put one foot on the floor, let alone get up and face the world. People around us often don’t understand what’s going on. They want to help,

Why writing our plans in pencil can leave room for grace, growth, and even some unexpected hope I came away for a break by myself to a friend’s shack by the beach last week. I love this place — it’s got a fireplace, a set of weights out the back, a great location, and the sea just a short walk away. After a long winter marked by family and personal health issues, I desperately needed a bit of a reset. But this reset was going to turn out a little different to what I imagined

You’re not too old. You’re not too late. And you’re definitely not done. Since my mid-30s, people have occasionally suggested I might be going through a mid-life crisis — usually after I’ve done something like go cycling in the mountains of Europe, buy a new car, or get another soft tissue injury trying to beat my adult kids at basketball. We tend to throw the phrase ‘mid-life crisis’ around in a joking way. It’s usually reserved for people in their 40s or 50s doing something

Helping Kids Face What We Can’t Fix In the most recent conversation on the Resilient Souls podcast, I spoke with Jane Oundjian — founder of the UK-based support organisation, The Bereavement Journey , and someone who’s walked closely with families navigating grief and loss. One thing she said really stayed with me: that children often ask the hardest questions at the hardest times. It took me straight back to my own journey — to the endless questions my kids had when their mo

A Shift in Perspective Without Any Toxic Positivity This week on the podcast, I was reminded of something I learnt a number of years ago. Back then, I was single and feeling deeply lonely, so I went for a walk around the local duck pond. I hoped that getting out into nature might distract me — maybe even bring a bit of peace. But instead, something unexpected happened. It all started out with good intentions — fresh air, the sound of birds, movement. But it wasn’t long before

Parenting Through Grief, Answering Hard Questions, and Reflecting on Mother’s Day Without Mum After recording a podcast episode earlier today with a guest — a fellow parent who’s walked the long, painful road of grieving a partner while still showing up for their children — I came down to the beach for a breather. Our conversation stirred something deep in me, but the truth is, it had already been stirring since last weekend. Last Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I went for a wal

What if your presence mattered more than your words? I’m an incredibly privileged person. Week after week, people share their stories with me — full of wisdom I wish I’d had when I was walking through my own storms, or trying to support someone through theirs. One simple piece of advice I heard recently from my latest guest, Ashley Mielke, has stayed with me. It wasn’t clever or complicated — just deeply true. And I think it might change the way we show up for the people we l

Discovering Hope in the Places You Least Expect The Unpredictable Nature of Grief Most of my conversations on the podcast keep reminding me that grief is unpredictable. It shows up when you’re at your weakest and stays for as long as it wants. For some, it comes like a tidal wave, overwhelming and all-consuming. For others, it lingers quietly, waiting for the moments you least expect it. It takes many forms, touches every part of life, and can be triggered by almost anything.

This morning, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders, accompanied by some uncomfortable emotions. I’m not entirely sure why it happened, but it does occasionally. Perhaps it started yesterday. I sat with my daughter on a gloomy day at the graveside of her husband, as the cemetery had called to say the headstone plaque had finally been installed. As I sat next to her, the moment hit me deeply. Watching tears trickle down her cheeks, I began to feel some of her pain acutely. It

Fresh off the Olympics, I found myself amazed at the skill and fitness levels of so many athletes, particularly on the final day when I watched the women’s marathon. These women, pushing themselves through mile after mile of gruelling conditions, demonstrated a resilience that seemed almost superhuman. It wasn’t just about physical stamina; it was about mental strength and a deep-seated determination to keep going despite the conditions. Watching them, I couldn’t help but thi